nbc bay area news starts right now. >> good morning. and thanks for joining us. we begin with developing news. three teen-age boys are accused of raping two girls in a public park. and police say it happened a week ago at the regional park in richmond. nbc bay area's christie smith is there live with the very latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. i got off the phone with the east bay regional park police and they're confident that they have all the suspects involved in this sexual assault. but they're still asking for the public's help. but that may be difficult and i'll show you why. this is the park area where it happened but i wanted to swing around and show you how secluded

it is. the street is up there. that's park and mcbride. but it is basically hidden by bushes. now, the area we're talking about is wild cat canyon regional park in the alhave a a doe park area. three teenage boys were accused of getting two girls drunk and raping them. the girls ages 14 and 17 were given alcohol by the boys. they woke up hours later and realized they had been sexually assaulted. they contacted their family and then reported it. then on wednesday, the teenage boys, one 15, two 17 were arrested. warrants served at their homes where evidence connecting them to the crime was recovered. i asked police what may have caused the girls to pass out, was it the amount of alcohol or something it in and what they tell me they don't know yet. they're awaiting toxicology reports. now, the names aren't being released because of their ages. but police say all the high schools go to high school in richmond. they were booked into juvenile

hall in martinez. >> thank you. now the other top story, the cold. look at this video out of martinez. public works officials say the freezing temperature caused a water main to break and caused this mess. it turned it into the rushing river late last night. crews have spent most of the night trying to clean that up. and now we're talking about the possibility of snow this weekend. >> yeah. low snow. and right here in the south bay looking the most promising, laura. good morning to you. temperatures are still very chilly out there. make sure you grab a coat. i want to show you the peninsula. taking a live look at san bruno, our camera is shaking a little bit. we have a storm system that's kicking up the winds and bringing in the cloudy skies. this is what we're expecting as we head throughout tonight. it will get interesting around here. stock the clock right at mid night and you the see at that point some of the pink here

which is a mixture of rain and snow. starting to move into the north bay. i stopped that clock for you getting into 6:00 a.m. and all that peak extends from the eastern foothills into san jose. i'm going to be coming in tomorrow because the chance is looking so good. we'll let you know what's to come next. it's going to be very cold around here for a little while. that's what i can tell you right now. laura, back to you. >> well, we'll be watching tomorrow morning as well. kind of excited for it too. may feel like a winter wonderland. one part of the bay area it's already starting to look like it as well. case kane is live in martinez where they have trucked in the snow park. >> reporter: yeah, they sure have. they sate's good timing because parts got down to 23 degrees last night. now, some people certainly did not enjoy temperatures that cold, but other people, well, they're finding ways to embrace the cold weather. some people want to get rid of ice and they'll do it by any

means necessary. you don't have an ice scraper? >> no, i don't. >> reporter: i thought we were in california. >> we are. >> caller: in martinez, they want winter so badly, they make it themselves. ice shred and blown across to create a snow park for kids during martinez's annual holiday frolic. and this year it's actually cold enough that they won't worry about the fake snow melting. >> my cows had frost on -- they had frost on their back this morning. ice on their back from the cold weather. >> reporter: on the cows? >> on the cows. i have some calves they're in the corral. i went to throw them some hay at 5:00. >> reporter: you should have thrown them a blanket. >> i wish i could have. >> reporter: but there's rumors of real snow that's the talk of the town. >> i'm pretty bundled up.

i'm prepared. i'm prepared for the snow. >> reporter: you want some snow? >> no but i'm prepared just in case. >> reporter: and they're prepared in case there's real snow overnight and into tomorrow. into early tomorrow. but guys, even if there's not real snow, come on, let's go, guys, here's what they've got for us. we'll give it a test whirl. pretty fast i'd say. maybe not quite as fast as the slopes are going to be in tahoe this weekend. they're going to love that. but this is fun out here, laura. >> that takes some coordination with the microphone, not bad. >> reporter: i wasn't sure if i'd be able to pull that off. i'm glad that worked okay. >> nor was i. i love live tv. of course we'll continue to follow the freezing temperatures on air and just search weather. send us one of your cold weather pictures. at 11:05 a hit and run driver put a san jose police

officer in the hospital this morning. we have more on the story that the hotel story guard who stopped the griefdriver from ge away. >> reporter: that's right. the officer was stopped in front of the hotel on almaden boulevard. they had just wrapped up their conversation when a car traveling above the speed limit crashed into the back of the squad car, sending it quite a ways. almost into the middle of the intersection at san carlos. you can see the impact crunched the back corner, busted out the rear window. the security guard could have been hit himself, but he escaped injury. the driver of that car did get out, tried to run away. but the security guard intervened and tackled him and another guard from the hotel responded and helped to hold down the suspect. >> always looking out for the hotel and the fellow team members and the guests. he's a model human being.

>> reporter: this doesn't surprise you he'd intervene? >> absolutely not. he's a hero almost every day in the big and small ways. >> reporter: that was the hotel general manager for commending the security guard for stepping up. both the police officer and suspect have been taken to the hospital. non-life threatening injuries. once he's released that suspect will be booked for felony hit and run. police don't know why he tried to run away from the accident. they don't know if he has any priors. they're still looking into whether or not he was drunk or on drugs. >> thank you. now to the death of nelson mandela, a man who changed the world. many south africans are placing candles outsize his home and signs, and some dancing to celebrate the life of the man many call the father of their nation. flags are lowered at half-staff in south africa and the government is preparing funeral

ceremonies that will draw dignitaries from around the globe. this morning, a state funeral will be held this sunday. he lived his life thousands of miles away but mandela made quite an impact here in the bay area. it's pretty remarkable. this is video of a packed oakland coliseum during a visit by mandela in june of 1990. a crowd of 60,000 people came to see mandela in oakland. shortly after he was released from prison. he came to oakland because he found out there was a lot of support from students activist against apartheid in south africa. he also came because of the then congressman who was the first to offer resolutions in congress against apartheid. >> oakland was the symbol of the city that fought and that constantly held everybody -- the

nation's feet to the fire. >> long shoremen in oakland were the first to refuse off load south african ships in if 1980s and dozens of protests by students and civic leaders throughout the bay area. mandela's impact is reach into the world of sports. in 1995, president mandela showed up at the rugby team's world cup victory team. they were all in white and both the team and the fans were set to be a symbol of apartheid. mande mandela's appearance changed that. >> he enabled black south africans to appreciate the sport of those persons who had been their oppressors. >> instead of trying to destroy a racist team, he used it to bring people together. now the spring box and fans celebrate diversity on the

stands. it was made into a movie called "invick us the." you can find photos and more on the visit to the bay area. just search for nelson mandela. sunnyvale's strict new gun laws take effect today. gun owners who lost their firearms or had them stolen have to call police won 48 hours and the city will start tracking the sale ofammunition. a rocket blasted off from the central coast last night, but the mission is considered top secret. this is video from the united launch alliance showing the liftoff of the rocket in santa barbara county. the 19th story rocket carried a payload, but the agency is not releasing any details about it. the launch was almost scrubbed because of the cold weather but it managed to lift off within

minutes of its launch window. take a look at this video of planes trying to land in extremely high winds at the birmingham airport in the u.k. this is from youtube. check it out. you can see the emirates plane coming in for the landing but it's pushing the nose of the plane sideways. the plane had to head back up to try again. and take a look at this smaller brussels airline, swaying from side to side as it tries to land. can you imagine being on it? well, the good news it eventually landed safely. no one was hurt. just certainly a lot of rattled nerves. still to come, kindness is contagious. the anonymous gift one family just received and how they plan to pay it forward. more good news about the economy coming right in time for christmas. we'll tell you all about it in business and tech. plus, bat kid. the sequel. we'll tell you why the caped

crusader is coming back to the city by the bay.

the classic baby bouncer just got a high-tech makeover. but it's not sitting well with everyone. fisher-price added an ipad holder so kids can play with the gadget while they bounce around. the company calls it the app-tivity seat. but many are slamming it. that's because the american board of pediatrics recommends no screen time for kids under 2. the dow is higher after new data showed the economy is growing, scott mcgrew, much faster than anyone thought. >> good morning. the american economy added 203,000 jobs in the month of november. much bigger than the 180,000 that economists were predicting. this pushes the unemployment rate down to 7%. this is particularly good news in retail. it's good news for construction.

and it's really good news for women. as we have seen for quite some time now, women are getting jobs much more quickly than men and the latest data show that continues. so the unemployment rate falling from 7.3 to 7%. good news, the lowest it's been in fact in five years. back to you. >> thanks so much, scott. a california couple who had bought the home where walt disney was born plans to turn it into a museum. he was born in this chicago home 112 years ago. according to the couple's spokesman restoration will start in january and they hope it will be complete by december 5th of next year which would have been his 113th birthday. the home is said to be built by disney's father and designed by his mother. walt disney lived in that house until he was 4 years old. get ready for bat kid the sequel. after the kid made a wish come

true he's returning to san francisco tomorrow. thanks to the help of thousands of people across san francisco. this weekend he's going to be playing a fund-raiser by kicking off the brave the day 5-k run. it benefits the make-a-wish foundati foundation. well, when one san jose family moved, their cat ran away. until this week. the cat was turned into the animal shelter in fremont. dasher was just living about two miles away. >> he's such a great cat. great with my kids. so i mean, he's big now and just feels so great to just see him and bring him home. >> another homeowner was feeding him the whole time. that's why he's so fat and happy. the owners recently sold the house and buyers brought it to the shelter and the shelter

tracked down dasher's original family. well, one san jose family feels blessed this morning after an anonymous woman paid for their christmas gifts. petra pora says the toys "r" us called her to let her know a woman had paid off the $72 lay away. she said she was stunned. toys "r" us said that the anonymous woman comes to the store and pays off a number of lay aways. she was so inspired by what a stranger did for her family she wants to pay it forward. >> i'm going to give it to the toys for tots. because it's my turn to give back. >> she said she'll be buying a few more gifts for her grandchildren as well. love that story. well, the world's largest toy train will visit eight caltrain stations between san francisco and san jose this weekend. the train will be decked out in more than 60,000 lights. this is video of last year's train. santa, mrs. claus and extended

family will pose for pictures and check in with the kids. the event is free but toys for tots and the salvation army will be at each stop to collect toys for children in need. a lot of fun happening out there. and possibly maybe some snow this weekend? want to check in with meteorologist christina loren. >> yeah, i want to show you this live picture of san jose where the clouds are certainly increasing. the further to the north you live in the bay area, the thicker the cloud cover. here's san francisco. breezy conditions, camera is shaking a bit as that storm system starts to move in. the highs aren't going to climb by much, only into the low 50s. here's what we are watching for as we get into tonight. here's our weather maker. still well to the north of sonoma county. showers coming in at the ft. bragg area. let's take you to your futurecast and show you what we're expecting as far as the

timing goes. we'll stop it at 5:00. still getting rain showers, mostly to the north of golden gate bridge. we extend this into the early morning hours. between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. wherever you see this pink, that's a mix of rain and snow. this is an area where we could potentially get some flurries down to 500-foot level. i continue to stop at 8:00, look at that gilroy, getting a little bit of the activity as well. we're really watching for the potential for snow. mostly in the south bay. east bay will see a slight chance for this as well. and santa rosa, it's cold enough for snow as we get into tomorrow morning. so here's what we want to make sure everybody is aware of. the highest accumulations are in the highs above 500 feet. that could make for some very hazardous driving conditions out on the local roads. i do want to show you one seven-day forecast. you can find your own right here at the bottom of your screen.

this is for the inland valleys, the overnight lows will be frigid, laura. in the 20s, and we're looking to stir the area day. possibly on sunday and monday. back to you. >> so won't use the fireplace to keep warm. well, citrus farmers are fighting for their crops as well as the frigid temperatures threaten to destroy the fruit. in terra bella, icicles are in the threes. the effects trickled down, meaning less fruit means less work and smaller paychecks. >> i wish i had -- it was a million so i could help them, but i'm not a millionaire. i'm trying to survive the same as they do. >> some of the fruit is frozen. the cold weather as i mentioned left a lot of burn marks out there. so they'll see what they can salvage. there is a big the test for

skier lindsey vaughn and her road to the olympics. coming up next -- it's 30 rock and access hollywood. and then days of our lives.

the sharks will be back in action tonight as they continue their trip to the east coast. san jose plays the carolina hurricanes today at 4:00. they're looking to rebound after a tough loss to the pittsburg penguins last night. they scored one goal on 44 shots. they lost it 5-1. we're less than 65 days from the start of the winter olympics in sochi and skier lindsey vaughn is doing everything she can to get into olympic form. she'll decide whether to compete in the downhill races at the world cup. she's weighing whether to race in the super g. she is trying to return to competition after a brutal crash

in february. she reinjured her knee last month. vaughn wants to defend her gold medal in down hill in sochi before she has surgery on that knee. here at home, the cardinal team is getting ready for make or break game. the winner ends up in the rose bowl and the loser will have to settle for a lesser known bowl. and in a previous meeting this season, stanford won handily 42-28. well, christmas trees come in all shapes and sizes but there's a good chance you haven't seen a certain one in texas. here's a hint. it's pretty smelly. we'll show it to you after the break.

to those who've waited... worried... poked and prodded... taken risks... and lived in a state of "what if?"... welcome to a new state... of health. welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage. financial help for those in need. and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition. enroll now at coveredca.com or call 1-800-752-6631. do you have a christmas tree yet? >> not yet. >> i don't think we want one like this. but you have to look. some east texas workers are showing anything can be used to

get people into the holiday spirit. even portable toilets. >> oh, no. >> exactly. well, this is the third year in a row that workers in long view have built a christmas tree out of toilets. the workers used approximately 40 porta potties to make the display that included santa claus in the top john above the star there. workers said many drivers are having a good laugh. that takes a lot of work. hopefully they're all emptied out. i don't know if that's the holiday spirit or what. >> thanks so much for joining us. our next newscast is at 5:00 and get all the latest information all day at nbcbayarea.com. we've got certainly a lot of weather going on in our neck of the woods. >> maybe some snow. >> exactly. >> slightly excited for it. >> me too. we'll see. have a great day. fantastic weekend. see you back here on monday. [ female announcer ] for those who love sweets

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what a sweeter holiday. the tgs sweatshirts were supposed to say "tgs season six, yuck," which is a catch-phrase from a pretty great sketch. - yuck! [audience cheers] - but they got misprinted and now they say, "tgs season six, duck!" and that's a season five catchphrase. - duck!? - lemon, that is not a real problem. a real problem is losing your giant scissors right before a ribbon-cutting for a couch factory. i just...had them. oh, thank god. i thought i'd lost them. today... i want everything to be perfect. i'm opening a factory. and factories provide three things this country desperately needs: jobs, pride, and material for bruce springsteen songs. - great, so we solved your problem, but now i've gotta wear last year's sweatshirt to my cousin's wedding. - oh, i'm so tired. i was out all last night with my new rock star boyfriend.